It is impossible to understand Vladimir Putin's psychological makeup without grasping the shadow cast by the Siege of Leningrad. Putin was born on October 7, 1952, in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg)—a city that was a living monument to both resilience and tragedy. The Siege of Leningrad (1941–1944) by Nazi forces resulted in the deaths of more than a million civilians from starvation and bombing. This collective trauma of war left a deep mark on subsequent generations of the city. Putin was the third son of his parents, Vladimir Spiridonovich Putin and Maria Ivanovna Putina; they had already lost two older sons—Albert, who died in infancy, and Viktor, who died during the siege from diphtheria and starvation. This family history instilled in Putin a fundamental belief in the fragility of life and the necessity of strength for survival.
The Putin family lived in a communal apartment (kommunalka) at 12 Baskov Lane. Conditions were harsh: there was no hot water, and the kitchen and toilet were shared with several other families. This environment was a microcosm of the Soviet working-class experience, where private life was virtually nonexistent, collectivism was a necessity, and there was a constant struggle for resources. Putin's father, who served in the Soviet Navy and later joined an NKVD demolition battalion, and his mother, who worked in a factory—both were survivors of a brutal era. Their life outlook was marked by resilience, caution, and a tendency toward constant vigilance, which profoundly influenced Putin's personality.
Putin's real social education took place not in school, but in the courtyards (dvory) of Leningrad. These were small worlds governed by informal rules and often by force. Putin, who was shorter than his peers, quickly understood that aggressive assertiveness was necessary for survival. He later summed up his childhood lesson in a single line: “The streets of Leningrad taught me one thing—if a fight is unavoidable, strike first.” This childhood strategy later became a hallmark of his political style, evident in his approach to Chechnya, Georgia, and Ukraine.
To compensate for his physical weakness and prove himself in the violent world of the courtyard, Putin turned to martial arts. At the age of twelve, he began studying Sambo (a Soviet martial art combining judo and wrestling) and later judo. Both disciplines proved crucial to his mental development, especially judo, which teaches discipline, respect for hierarchy, and the art of using an opponent's strength against them. His biographers often note that his asymmetrical responses in politics, his strategy of waiting for an opponent's mistake, and his sudden, decisive strikes—all stem from his judo training.
Although his early school years were marked by "mischievous" tendencies, Putin was academically capable. He attended School No. 193 and later St. Petersburg High School 281, which was renowned for its chemistry and German language programs. His proficiency in German later became a defining characteristic of his KGB career. Culturally, he was influenced by Soviet patriotic and spy novels, which depicted intelligence agencies as the state's most important defenders.
In 1970, Putin entered the law department of Leningrad State University. Two events during his university years were particularly significant. First, he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union—a virtually mandatory step for ambitious citizens at the time—and remained a member until 1991. Secondly, he was introduced to Anatoly Sobchak, a charismatic and reform-minded professor of civil law. Sobchak would later become the first democratically elected mayor of St. Petersburg and a key mentor in Putin's political career.
In his university research, Putin studied the "most-favored-nation principle in international law." This topic reflects his early interest in international trade, economic leverage, and the balance of power between states—an interest that would later manifest itself in the use of energy resources as a weapon in Russian foreign policy. He graduated in 1975, not as a practicing lawyer, but as a candidate who had already been selected for the security services.
Read more : - The Rise of Vladimir Putin
.jpeg)
0 Comments